Pavor Nocturnus: Black Cat
by Schematization
Summary: HAPPY HALLOWEEN--An officer is trained to keep oneself from letting a mission effect them in any fashion, even when time has passed. That doesn't keep any man's subconscious from letting it cross over and haunt him for the rest of his days.
1. Chapter 1

A somewhat Halloween story of mine that I had somewhat forgotten about, but did a small retweak on it for my own reasons after reading it through and choose to post here once again. Also hoping that going back over some of my tales might shake the cobwebs from my head to try and pick up the pen or keyboard again in writing about my favorite fandom.

I do my fanfiction not for a grade or an award or in hopes of publishment. not after this many years for trying. It's my hobby and I enjoy it when my brain is out of it's usual air lock. I would like to hope when reading my stories that the reader is enjoying it in the same level.

DISC: Nope. Never did. Never have. Never will. I have enough headaches with having to take care of everyone from Star Trek or Paramount.

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CHAPTER ONE

Rolling over, Kirk squeezed his eyes tighter trying to ignore the beeping of the communication console on the other side of his cabin. Wrapping his blankets around his shoulders and head more snuggly he tried to pretend that he was only dreaming the nerve scratching noise. It failed miserably in only four seconds.

Growling furiously, he threw the blanket's off caring little that they landed on the floor in a mass of tangles at the foot of his bed. At that second all he was concerned with was finding the jackass that was apparently wanting to see what the inside of a Starfleet garbage scow looked like.

Running a hand over his tired face that was in the process of setting into a irate scowl, Kirk glared around the cabin until finding the small digital chronometer on his work station. For a brief moment he squinted his eyes to read the numbers for a second, then a third time before letting it sink in what it said.

8:42 a.m.! Could that be right? Crap! No wonder the damn thing was going off like a battle klaxon! He had managed to oversleep over two hours and should've been on the bridge forty-two minu... Make that forty three minutes ago.

Admittedly he had been thoroughly beat after they had beamed back up from Pyris VII, with all of the hocus pocus and terror Sylvia had used against him and his crew. The usual after mission exam that McCoy had literally tortured him into hadn't helped any in resurrecting his stamina or view on the medical profession. Yet, he had never before overslept and been this tardy for any shift, even on a morning after a nearly disastrous mission.

Well, since he had been Captain of the 'Enterprise'.

McCoy would never let me him forget this day. He had no doubt that there would be some dry comment on the anniversary of this day for years to come in the messages that would come from the depths of the aforementioned garbage scow.

Literally leaping out of his bunk he headed straight over to the work station and slammed a hand on the switch, taking a second to enjoy the silence before speaking into the tiny communication device.

"Kirk here. I'll be on the bridge in five minutes." He grunted into the intercom, trying to make up his mind if he wanted to reprimand the entire bridge with a scathing blast about not bothering to check in to see if he was going to trouble himself to sow up for his shift or not.

In a heartbeat he quickly amended himself. "Make that ten minutes, Mr. Spock."

In that amount a time he should be able to scrounge a cup of coffee off some unsuspecting ensign on his way to the bridge. He could by pass a shower for the day, but there was no way by God was he going to miss his caffeine fix.

With a quick action he cut off the intercom before there was the chance of any murmured words of drollery to filter through and proceeded to his closet to grab a uniform.

Hand resting on the gold velour shirt still on it's hanger, Kirk blinked then pursed his lips into a tight thin line as it suddenly struck him and immediately went back to the workstation.

Striking the intercom switch with the side of his hand he hesitated before speaking listening intently while an intense shield slipped over the gold flecked hazel stare.

"Captain Kirk to bridge." The edge in his voice now shifted from annoyance to apprehension.

There was no response to the words. There was nothing. No voice or background noise of any kind to be heard.

"Bridge this Captain Kirk." He again clipped off, somehow knowing there would still be no reply.

When none came, the concerned gaze hardened as it swept around the cabin before resting on the intercom again. A coolness swept into the room suddenly setting a layer of uneasiness on his skin as he paused then spoke once more into the speaker.

"Kirk to Spock." Again silence clung to the air.

"Kirk to sickbay. Dr. McCoy report please."

Finding himself holding his breath, Kirk snorted angrily when he received no answer and banged a fist against the work table surface then abruptly straightened up. Leaving the line open he snatched the uniform from the closet and began to pull on his clothes at a breakneck pace all the while keeping his ears tuned for any sound to come through the intercom.

Stomping on his left boot he sprang off the bunk, slapped the intercom switch off again as he passed the work station and was out the door. In the corridor he slid to a halt, glancing from one end of the hall to the other and felt the first twinge of real uneasiness pluck his innards.

The chill that he had felt touch his skin before was beginning to permeate into his pores as he found himself alone. No one nor any sound save for the quite humming of the 'Enterprise' heart that barely vibrated through the ship. He stood stock still trying to block out the well known drumming of his ship to catch any kind of noise from either direction.

There was nothing however. Nothing save for the heartbeats of the "Enterprise' and her captain.

Momentarily shrugging off the cloak of dread, he again shot a look down the empty end of the hall then turned and heading for the turbolift at the opposite direction. At this point he had to worry about the ship then his people. There was little need to be concerned with the over four hundred crewmembers that he was expected to pull through any disaster if he had no ship to bring them back to.

He had taken only a few steps when he froze to the spot, a spine tingling sensation forcing him to slowly turn and gaze back down the corridor.

She sat there contentedly cleaning one forepaw, taking care to swipe the pink tongue over the leather like pads before hesitating. The golden eyes stared at some obscure spot on the floor then gradually moved in the direction of the man standing a few yards away. Tongue dashed over the black nose pad, as the stare narrowed in study of the human. In feline fashion, it lasted long enough for the human to realize he was nothing more than a insignificant silverfish to her.

To Kirk though, she was a large, long haired, whisker bristling, tail twitching question mark that could lead him to the answer's he wanted. Or to the one who could give them to him.

Starting to move toward the feline, he tried to move carefully and quietly ignoring the slight pain that went through his tightly clenched jaw. The last thing he wanted to deal with right now, was a cat. Especially a black cat.

It was too much of a coincidence though, after the mission on Pyris VII to ignore at this moment. Whoever or whatever she was, she had to have something to do with the 'Enterprise' being devoid of her crew.

If she did, she wasn't about to wait around to tell the Captain as she was off and loping down the corridor when Kirk acted as if he was coming in her direction.

He gave chase for several yards until he came a around curve and found nothing but empty corridor again. There was nothing to give evidence of the small furry intruder or which direction she had taken. The notion that possibly she hadn't been there at all was something that he didn't want to contemplate, but was unable to shake the thought, as he gave the empty hall another searching look before heading back in the direction of the lift.

Behind him, the soft thrumming of the engines was joined with an equally dulcet sound of purring, that seem to creep along the footsteps of the Captain until it was the only sound left in the empty hallway.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Much thanks for the reading and the reviews for this twisted tale. apperciated muchly trust me!

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CHAPTER TWO

When the lift door's opened, Kirk exited and could only stare at the empty bridge as he slowly stepped down to the command chair. Every station was empty from navigation to communication to science. Lights blinked and twinkled brightly at him from their unmanned consoles but the lack of the beeps and buzzing only added to the overall ugly sensation of the lonely atmosphere and deadness of the 'Enterprise'.

Hand resting on the back of command chair, Kirk let his eyes roam around the bridge, straying back to the science station and the empty chair that faced him.

After a moment he turn back toward the main screen and stared at the star filled space that the 'Enterprise' seem to be hanging in. All the while his mind kept churning with some type of explanation for what had to him, his crew and the 'Enterprise'.

Shaking his head to clear away the fog of confusion, he moved forward to the navigation console and scanned the readings. After a disbelieving pause, he sank down in the chair that would've normally been occupied by Sulu, and let his troubled gaze fix on the screen in front of him.

Home. If what he read was real, he should have been staring at the small planet that had at one time been his home. But it was impossible. There was nothing there. Earth. Moon. All of it gone. The entire solar system had been wiped away from space. But how? When? And more importantly who?

The coldness embedded deeper into his being as he pushed himself out of the navigators seat, made his way around the console with the movements of a man with a hundred years added to his soul.

Steps growing heavier as he paced in front of main screen in hard deliberation, Kirk froze in mid-step at the quiet, steady sound of purring. Looking up he found himself exchanging gazes with what appeared to be the same black cat from the corridor.

Bundled up into a sleek small package, she stared at the Captain through half closed gold eyes, with the expression of complacency that only felines possessed. There was a glint that lurked in those gold pools that hinted at a cruelness that knew more of what was going on around them than the human. And planned on enjoying every painful moment of it.

Eyebrow rising in aggravation, Kirk curled a hand into a fist while telling himself to remain calm, knowing that he was momentarily at the whims if this creature until he could deduce what the hell had happened to everything as he knew it.

"I don't know what the hell you are, but I want answer's to what it is you've done to my crew and what you've done with my..."

A gasp of pain drove off any other words that Kirk was planning on saying, as he grasped the console to keep from falling to knees from the shocking, tearing pain.

Struggling for a breath, he glanced back at the command chair and grimaced at the devilish expression that was regarding him from her throne of sanctuary while a set of claws was deeply embedded in the back of the chair.

Kirk gingerly touched the back of his shirt and felt the familiar stickiness of blood soaking through the velour. Still staggering inside from the pain he brought forth his hand and shot a look at the deep red fluid that stained his fingers.

He felt the heat from the next stab of fire before registering the sound of claws ripping through the fabric and metal of the center chair. Unable to hold the soft murmur of agony as the burning ran down and deep along his back, Kirk tightened his grasp on the edge of the console.

Removing a set of delicate needle sharp claws from the slashed chair, she gave each piece of weaponry an enamored look. Flexing her paw, the yellow-gold eyes slipped back in the Captain's direction, wicked delight glowing brightly.

Clenching his teeth, Kirk tried to block out the pain that felt as if it was burning every nerve attached to his spine while focusing on the creature perched smugly in the center chair.

"I don't know what you want, but I guarantee you aren't doing any more damage to this ship or me until I get some answers." Kirk growled before launching himself at the black feline with as much strength as he could muster.

Whiskers flaring forward with a look of accepting the human's challenge, the wily creature literally trilled in glee as she ran both sets of front claws from top to bottom of the chair's back. With a flick of a plume tail she threw one more daring glare back at Kirk leapt over the chair then bounded inbetween the lift doors.

Feeling his flesh ripping violently, Kirk fell to one knee his hand sliding down the side of the console as he ground his teeth against the searing pain. Gulping a lungful of breath, he glanced down at his blood stained hand that rested on the floor then up at the now shut lift doors.

Grappling with the pain and ignoring the blood that made his shirt stick to his back like a second skin, Kirk pushed himself back to his feet. He cared little any more if this did have anything with happened on Pyris VII. This animal was playing a cruel game of it's own aimed directly at him.

A game that had the intention of driving him to madness or killing him. Whichever path he stumbled down he was going to make damn sure of getting some answers as well as possibly taking some company with him down that trail.


	3. Chapter 3

Again much thanks to the reviewers, the ones who favorited the story and those of you who the readers. thank you muchly.

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**CHAPTER THREE**

Moving through the corridor toward Sickbay, Kirk kept one blood stained hand touching the wall to keep from tumbling to the floor. In his other hand he tightly grasped a phaser that he had retrieved from the security hold on the bridge, now tainted with blood as well.

Sweat ran down the side of his face as he continued to make his way along the hall, forcing himself not to jump at any shadow or sound that he caught. However, there was no sign of his small, malicious foe behind any of the unnerving momentary discords.

Sagging against the wall opposite the sickbay door, he absently wiped away a bead of sweat that was running down the length of his jaw. He took a second to regain control over himself and tried to beat back the gaining shadow's of anger, pain and fear.

Pushing himself away from the wall, Kirk visibly scowled in pain and discomfort when the blood soaked shirt refused to be pulled off the metal wall.

Literally tripping through the door, he caught the edge of an examination table with his free hand while casting a quick cursory glance around the room. Briefly he relaxed his grip on the phaser, when he found what he expected, absolutely no one.

Pursing his lips, he carefully took in a breath feeling a wave of chills sweep over him followed by surge of heat that sent an odd shiver through his body. Gritting his teeth again, he willed himself across the room to McCoy's cabinet of horror's and started pawing through the equipment until finding a scanner and empty hypo.

Activating the scanner he began to pass it back and forth over his chest, when he became aware of the fact that he was wrong about his initial judgment. He was far from being alone.

Hand hesitating in it's circular motion, Kirk glanced in the direction of the smaller examination room while his hand tightened around the phaser grip again.

"Who's there!" He demanded lowering the scanner and raising the phaser. "Identify yourself and come out now."

A shadow fell across the doorway and over the floor at the feet of Kirk, as he waited with held a breath that was doing little for his already aching body. Lifting his chin, he kept his gaze fixed on the door until he caught the first glimpse of the intruder and nearly dropped both phaser and scanner.

With the same pallid, devoid mask that had been on his face when Kirk had caught him when he toppled off the transporter pad, Jackson stood in the doorway surveying the room with a blank stare.

The prickling of coldness began creeping along every nerve ending that Kirk possessed when the unexpressive dark stare finally fell on him.

He knew in his own reasonably sane mind that the man was dead. He had been there when McCoy had made the diagnose in the transporter room. He had felt the cold stiffness of death when he caught the man when he nearly toppled over on both he and the Doctor. He knew without a moment of uncertainty that the man standing in front of him was without an ounce of life left in his body or soul.

Yet, after all he had witnessed in the last few days, not to mention the last half hour, he wasn't about to cast dispersion's on the infinite possibilities that could occur. Including the dead walking again.

Fingers twitching along the trigger of the phaser, Kirk took a slow step backwards trying to grapple with what was happening to him. None of this made any sense to him, more in the way of how it could be accomplished let alone why.

As if on cue, there was a quiet smirking growl as the cat abruptly leapt up on to Jackson's shoulder, glared at the Captain with a slits of mockery while her tail lashed with excitement.

Eyes fixed on the animal, Kirk nearly failed to notice that the zombie figure of Jackson had taken a step in his direction. Backpedaling another two steps, he raised the phaser and fired.

Letting out a yelp, the Captain dropped the suddenly burning phaser then stared at the bright read and peeling skin of his palm then up at the approaching Jackson.

The cat baring it's teeth in what could only be called a feline version of a fiendishly delighted smile, still perched on the dead man's shoulder.

Pushing the pain that was steadily consuming him, to the back of his mind momentarily, Kirk took another step backwards and tossed the scanner at the gloating feline. Having little time to enjoy the snarl of anguish from the spitting cat, he grabbed the back edge of the cabinet and heaved with every ounce he had left sending it to the floor between him and the walking dead.

Caring little to stick around he dived out the sickbay door and made a quick retreat down the corridor wanting to make it back to the lift before any other nasty surprise came out of nowhere.

Falling through the opening door's of the lift, he gasped for air. Face twisting up at the flare up's of excruciating torture along his back while giving his throbbing hand a quick squint.

The skin had burnt away leaving black edge around the vulnerable raw meat of his hand, that had the stomach turning stench of eradicated hamburger. Trying to flex his hand he anxiously watched his digits, feeling the lift begin to rise as he released a tiny sigh if relief at the wiggling fingers. Watching his fingers slowly dance individually, Kirk almost smiled then froze when he noticed what beyond those appendages.

Looking up from his spot on the lift floor, Kirk felt himself go pale and turn even colder at the sight of the grinning skeletons that were looking down at him from their posts along the wall.

They dangled from heavy manacles bolted to the lift walls, dressed in the all too familiar blue and black uniform of the science department, empty sockets fixed on the human sitting in their midst. A mixed reaction on their fleshless skulls, of sick humor, anguish and condemnation toward the man that had put them there.

Pushing himself up along the wall, Kirk tried not to let it register that he recognized the rank on both the blue uniform shirts that hung from the bare bones. If he had it might have been the end of what ever shred of sanity he was making himself cling to until finding some rationality in all of this.

Running a slightly shaking hand through this hair, Kirk was never so grateful for the lift door's to hiss open as he was then. Caring little what level he was at he charged out of the lift and down the corridor, going several yards before he realized that he was back where he had started from. Only a few feet from his own quarters.

Cradling his wounded handed against his chest, he entered his cabin glad to be in the one spot that had seemed to be a sanctuary for him. A thought that quickly evaporated into a dark flame of lost fate.

The entire space was filled with cobwebs and a fog that had the smell of decay to it that crept into Kirk's nostril's and throat sending him to a spasm of coughs. At intervals he thought he could just catch the tail end of a familiar fragrance that he had once been willingly enticed by years ago but was swiftly enveloped into the stench of rotting flesh.

Gagging on the taste that clung to this mouth and throat, he whirled about to depart the horrid scene only to find he was lost in the dense cloak that was moving quicker about him.

Covering his mouth and nose with his free arm, he squinted through the fog, trying to find anything that was distinguishable. Cautiously he moved in the direction of the worktable, feeling a cape of darkness fall over him.

Half turning he strained to peer through the smothering fog until the unmistakable glint of golden orbs broke through.

Seconds before it was on him, Kirk was almost disappointed at the fleeting scenes that passed in front of his eyes at what was the last thoughts of his life.

In a final heartbeat, he could only watch as the black panther melted together from the fog as it came down upon him before the rest of his thoughts were encompassed by the death that had been tracking him for so long.

If he had been asked, Kirk would never be able to give an answer to the question if he had or hadn't screamed out loud when he sat straight up in bed, fending off the nightmare creature as it pounced. Either way he could cared about, knowing that it all had been a frightening dream. A too realistic terrifying dream, he added wiping at the cold sweat that covered his face.

Ordering the lights on, he sat on the edge of his bed rubbing his tired eyes with the heels of his hand's trying to wipe away the ugly pictures that remained running through his head. He knew it would be pointless for sometime, just as he knew there was no chance he could get back to sleep right away.

Still sitting on the edge of his bed, he jumped at the sound of the door chimes and scowled in their direction before shooting a look at the chronometer on the worktable.

02:43

"Come." He called after letting his heart return to normal action and running a hand over his face.

McCoy stood in the doorway, looking wane and agitated. "Hope you don't mind some company for a few minutes. Just couldn't sleep."

Looking up at the Doctor, Kirk almost smiled and then thought better of it when recalling his own episode.

"Black cat?" He quietly asked as he rose to his feet and gestured toward one of the chairs around the worktable.

Looking faintly relieved as he stepped into the cabin, McCoy nodded. "Biggest damn black cat I've ever laid eye on."

Kirk could only murmur in acknowledgement as he pulled out the second chair after pulling a deck of playing cards from a hidden cubby hole next to his computer.

"Spot me the usual?" McCoy nearly grinned as he made himself comfortable on the opposite side of the table.

Sitting down, Kirk raised an eyebrow in McCoy's direction but gave a single nod before he started shuffling the cards.

"You know, you would think Spock would have the decency to at least act like he had the same trouble." Muttered Bones as he sorted through the cards in his hand then jerked a thumb at the wall that separated them from the Vulcan's cabin. "Show a little camaraderie here for the only two who put up with him and his lack of everything that I can't think of at this time of the night."

A smile managed to appearing on Kirk's face as he organized his own cards. "You know Spock. It's his way not to say anything, knowing it's not something we want to go into. You seriously don't want to discuss what you had running around in your dream with him, do you?"

There was an uncomfortable pause from the Doctor before he snorted quietly. "Well, the big, green-blooded sleeping pill, could 'accidentally' show up."

"The night is still young, Bones." Kirk chuckled as he laid the handful of cards down on the table. "Gin."

"Damn."

Both men froze in their movements when the blood curdling scream that emitted from the other side of the wall shattered the quiet. While the soul wrenching fear the two men been attempting to escape was cemented in place, when the horrified cry was drowned out by a delighted shriek of a cat.

FIN


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